SUNSWEPT

Chapter 4 "Secrets"

"Weasley
rat of a thing, guess it didn't take much" A new voice. "Oh, give em a
slap will ya, I ain't got time to sit 'round here all day."

Jallif's
face exploded into sparkling pain as he came fully awake. The room was
dark and both figures were shadowed. Split-face was easy to identify but
the other one, shorter, more businesslike, not so much. Jallif was sitting,
his hands wrenched behind him and tied to the stool. He looked around
franticly trying to place the new room.

"Hey,
you shouldn't be sneakin' around where ya don't belong right?" The
businessman was clearly addressing him but he hadn't a clue as to how to
respond. Instead he used the pause to process what was happening. He'd
been following Split-face unexpectedly into some sort of warehousing
district. Why?

"You
hearin me?" Split-face lifted his hand as though to strike again and
Jallif quickly nodded to avoid another hit. The nod turning into a full
bodied wince as Split-face further emphasised that he wanted to. "No..
no I wasn't sneaking!"

"No eh? And just what were you doin'?" The businessman was keeping his face in the shadows.

Jallif decided that for once the truth might just suffice."I wanted a way off the station?"

"By coming to warehousing? You stupid enough to try to stow-away?"

"No,
i thought he might know one." Jallif nodded his head toward Split-face.
"I... I was looking for him." He was remembering bit by bit and letting
his fear do the talking. He wasn't about to divulge his deepest,
darkest secrets, despite the compelling case made by Split-face's hand,
but they couldn't kill him for wanting to ask the man a question. Could
they?

The
slap to his other cheek came so fast he didn't even register it until
he was sprawling from the stool and trying in vain to bring his hands
around to catch the floor which flattened his face. "Did ya have to? I'm
pretty sure the space-gas was telling the truth." There wasn't really any concern for Jallif in the Businessman's question.

"What, I didn't like runt followin' me is all."

"Oh,
put him back up... you might just knock him out again an' then we gotta
wait another hour to find out." Split-faces massive hands lifted Jallif
and the stool he was attached to clear off the ground with what must
have been augmented strength. Once back on the stool with hands still
fastened to it Jallif looked out from behind two very bruised cheeks.
"Now, why exactly would you be following my associate here? And let's be keeping up with that honesty on this one eh?"

"I..." The truth then, why not? "I recognized him from the ship I came in on, the 'Snake"

This
was not the answer the businessman was expecting. He shared a rather
ominous look with Split-face which curled into a rather unpleasant smile
just visible below the shadow line. "So you just saw him in the market
and assumed he knew how to get you off this heap?"

"I hoped... I figured he'd missed the ship out as well."

The
businessman noded to Split-face which was apparently a good thing
because rather than another blinding hit, the massive man stepped around
behind Jallif reaching for his bounds. "I'd say you're in luck then."
With the removal of the ropes Jallif tried to bring his arms around and
realized from their misuse that they must have been in that position
longer than he'd thought. "We can get you off this bucket."

Split-face looked up at this partner suddenly. "We can?" This earned him a stern look from the businessman.

"We certainly can. And what's more? We'll take ya to wherever you want to go when we do."

Jallif couldn't believe what he was hearing which of course meant there was a catch. There was always a catch.
Still, a chance to make sure he got back to Jita.. or even better;
home... He couldn't pass that up. "Yeah? and what, exactly, do I have to
do to earn this offer of yours?"

"Ah,
we have a smart spacer here." The smile on the businessman was anything
but reassuring. "We just need ya to play lookout for a little,
disagreement we're planning."

Well that isn't ominous. "What sort of... disagreement?"

The
businessman didn't leave the shadow but seemed to pull a matching stool
from the corner behind him and perched on it. "See, there's this very
despicable pilot and we here in Origin don't like her all too much. So,
we're going to protest the launch of her next ship."

Jallif
could sense more to it than that but again, he wasn't in a position to
push it. "And what am I supposed to be watching for, the authorities?"

"You got it smart-man." How many names is he gonna give me? "That's all. You see authorities coming, you just press a button and wait for us."

"And wait for you?"

"And wait for us." Thats about the dumbest load of fedoshit i've ever...
The businesman crossed his arms mater-of-factly. "Look, if ya can't do
it, I'm sure we can find someone else to take out with us when we leave.
We just need to know when the crowd is gettin outta hand so we can tone
it down. That's all. And seein' as we all care so much about the cause
and you really don't, we figured you wouldn't care if ya was hanging
back by the door." Home... Split-face had also crossed his arms and was
now grinning as he leaned back against the wall. Jallif could feel a
trap, something about this whole situation just resonated and sent a
tingle through his fingers. But he was used to traps, he'd made a life
of avoiding them. And i'm bloody-well walking right back into one, ain't I? The offer was just too good.

"I'll do it."

*******

Phedrick
walked calmly down one of nicer corridors of Icarus Station, broader
than most station passageways, as befitted those residents who could
afford the added amenities; capsuleers. That this breadth came in handy
in the event of twenty plus capsuleers scrambling for their pods was
less important to him at the moment than that he and his partner Jemmie
could walk side by side with plenty of room for opposing traffic. Not
that there was any of that; opposing traffic. A glance to his left gave
him a bit of a fraternal smile. She had only yesterday attained official
Field Agent status despite a more-than-average amount of field time for
a Tech. He could see her pride in the pace of her step but the mentor
in him saw more as well. There was a purpose, a control in those steps
and in how she held her body that hadn't been there before. Not exactly
the freckle-faced Security Cadet he'd decided to take under his wing
only 18 months ago.

She
still held rank in the Origin Security Service as Service Tech with
specification in Neurobiology and Advanced Cloning Technique but after
yesterday Field Tech Jemmalyn Droitacopius was also trained, and licensed, in advanced forms of personal combat and tactics. She now held
the record for one of the fastest advancements from service to field of
any tech, making her both envied and respected. Few besides Phedrick
could understand or even know what had gone into such a fast advancement
or the massive learning curve behind it. Jemmie had been Phedrick's
partner for two operations now, the last of which had brought her face
to face with wet-work in a way that had been unanticipated by the firm
or even Phedrick himself. Her resourcefulness and guile had stretched
both her limits as well as those of science.

They
turned a corner and emerged into yet another corridor, no different
from the last yet he knew via his implant that they had arrived.
Approaching the first door on the left he touched the signaling pad to
the right of the door panels. The pad luminesced and faded leaving only
the outlines of his fingerprint. A creative security feature, but easily
bypassed by someone with even a little skill. After only a brief pause
the door slid open allowing Phedrick and Jemmie to enter the strangely
appointed office.

Artifacts
were displayed with reverence on or along walls colored burnt
red-orange. Lighting In the room seemed to exist only to highlight the
various pieces, some much older than Phedrick could place or recognize.
What was perhaps most striking, however, was the use of wood in the trim
as well as the desk itself. Who in their right mind would choose to
surround themselves with such a fire hazard that had no purpose other
than to be such? Jemmie leaned in as they walked toward the figure
seated behind the desk, ostensibly their new client; "He's still moving
in it seems." Phedrick looked in the direction she had indicated and
sure enough, the paneling in one corner to the left of the seated figure
was loose, the lighting feature improperly aimed, and an artifact
unlit. Both came to a parade rest before the desk.

"Oh, now, I was hoping you wouldn't notice that."

"I'm sorry sir?" Phedrick hadn't expected to be greeted in such a way.

"I
tried the desk in that corner yesterday but it just didn't have the
right look to it." The figure gestured to the chairs sitting before the
desk. "Please have a seat, no need to be so formal Lieutenant."

The
use of his actual rank implied a few more connections than most clients
enjoyed with the Service, but then he was a capsuleer. He and his
partner each took their seats and at least tried to appear relaxed, most
clients came to the Center so this little trip was not a normal sort of
thing.

"I
realize that I have you at a bit of a disadvantage and asking your
department head to send you out here without telling you a thing was my
idea of security rather than a good way to start a working
relationship." The client leaned back in his chair, a calculated move to
Phedrick. He was trying to open the discussion, make it feel more
informal. Phedrick could play that game.

"It
was a bit unorthodox. You are concerned about security within even the
Service?" He forced a grin. "Security is kind of our thing."

"Security
within was not as much what I was worried about." The client was
choosing his words carefully despite the intended atmosphere. "Once
you've accepted the operation, I want there to be as few breadcrumbs as
possible to follow. You two are already near legends in the Service and
while I needed your skills, I'm not too keen on others figuring out
why."

Phedrick's
mind whirred. He'd never accepted an operation in his life. He was
assigned, period. It was easier that way anyway. His estimation of this
capsuleer's knowledge of Service personnel was growing by the second and
he decided enough was enough. With only a thought he accessed his
network implant and started cycling a search for the capsuleer's face.
To buy time as well as try to regain some footing in the conversation he
replied; "Breadcrumbs?"

"Oh,
an old tale meant for children. Clues, Lt. Gein." The client smiled
exactly as Jemmie emited a soft "humph" and Phedrick's implant displayed
the entire public and non-public file of one Xepharious Wryn. Jemmie
must have been accessing it as well, a 'humph' perfectly summed up
Phedrick's feelings. This wasn't exactly a Paradox Coordinator they were
dealing with, but he was pretty much the next thing to it. That meant
that their new client had the kind of pull to discover not only the
personnel file of most any member of the Service, but he had also been
around long enough to build connections with the very capsuleers who
secretly built the Origin Security Service (OSS) themselves. He was even noted
as having top clearance within his Service file. There was one more
factor that caught his attention. He wasn't yet linked into the
Coordinator Network and that meant that he still had a sort of autonomy
from the hive-mind that ran the system. He could have secrets. Now
Phedrick was choosing his words with care.

"Mr.
Wryn, You know as well as I do that my partner and I were assigned to
this operation." He leaned forward in the chair to emphasize his point.
"How exactly do you intend to build trust with us, as the relaxed nature
of this interview implies, while playing games with us. Further,
offering us any sort of choice in the matter also seems just a bit moot
given that the Director, or our department head as you so
carefully put it, would have turned you down right off if she had had
any doubts." Jemmie spared a moment to raise an eyebrow at him. While
she was certainly accustomed to his direct nature, his tone must have
seemed terribly impolitic. He had to trust that he had read Xepharious
with his usual accuracy.

The
client smiled again, this time standing to extend a hand. The motion
seemed to dispel the presumption in the room and both Phedrick and
Jemmie started to stand once more in reaction to the offered gesture.
"Xeph, please." He shook Phedrick's hand then moved to Jemmie's. "Your
reputation and the particulars of this mission are such that I insisted
that you be given a choice in the matter as well full operational
participation."

Phedrick
and Jemmie exchanged glances as they all retook their seats. "Would we
not have had full operational participation?" They were used to working
on their own.

"I'm
planning to assemble a team actually, and for at least the first phase,
your roles may be somewhat more coaching than actual fieldwork." He
caught their sudden looks of dread. It sounded quite a bit like Tech
work. "It won't all be classroom, trust me. But it may seem that way at
first."

"What exactly are you planning for us to do?" Jemmie spoke up.

"Ah,
and that's where we come to each of you. I have the facts of it," He
tapped his head lightly. "but I was wondering if you could give me your
own debrief of Operation Overreach." He ended the request looking
specifically at Jemmie who in turn looked to Phedrick.

"I
guess it all started with me botching the mission." Phedrick gave a
sort of self-effacing chuckle but Jemmie's look implied that he had done
no such thing.

"His cover was blown though even now we don't exactly know how." She corrected.

"They
tracked me back to the office that we were using as our base of
operations on one of the industrial platforms at Skyreach; surrounded
us. Jemmie, acting as my assistant, was already patched into the local
network and as per our exit scenario, disengaged the entire compartment
thus trapping them as well. We were about to detonate the compartment
when I observed that if they had discovered our real identities, they
might gain access to our secure digital backups as well." He looked to
Jemmie who picked up the recounting.

"If
we were going to die, I mean really die then the mission would have
been a complete scrub. I had already been researching a few of the lower
cronies from the terrorist cell, a couple of the very same ones that
had been on our nice little floating industrial compartment with us,
when I had the idea to swap our digital imprints in for theirs." She
paused.

"They
didn't have it, access to our secure imprints that is, but there was no
way for me to know at the time. So I went for it, and broke more Clone
Laws than I care to recall at this moment."

Phedrick
resumed, "Next thing we knew we were waking up in strange bodies with
only an awareness of the mission up to our last scan. Piecing together
what had happened as well as trying to field-test brand new synaptic
pathways proved to be a bit more challenging."

Xeph was leaning in now, clearly listening very actively. "But they did eventually work yes?"

Jemmie
this time, "Well yes, but we came out of the clone vats so totally
unable to function that the med tech threatened to off us right there
and try for different clones. They did try a re-scan and re-boot a few
days later but by that time I'd gotten ahold of one of my stashes of
neural-repair nanites via drone and quietly had them slipped into our
next clones. The second cloning went a lot better and the first was
dismissed as a fluke, any residual issues on our second clones as our
digital selves compensating for the bad clones. In short, we got really
lucky." She looked reflexively at Phedrick. "We disproved Oshburn's
theory that human autonomic systems couldn't handle inter-transplant
without Capsuleer technology, not that we could ever publish it."

Xeph
appreciated the necessity that prevented the incident from becoming
public as well as the chagrin it seems to cause the scientific minded
agent. "What were some of the side-effects, out of curiosity?" Specifics
had not been in the official report.

They
looked at one another, unsure where he was going with it and not too
excited to recount feeling so powerless. Phedrick spoke first. "Like
being trapped in your own body-"

"Trapped in someone else's body" She corrected.

He
nodded. "Right, at first it was like learning to blink all over again.
Much worse than honing a new implant or prosthetic I can tell you that."

"But the proper cocktail of neural-repair nanites helped?"

Was his tone actually hopeful? Phedrick looked to Jemmie to answer.

"Yes,
but it still took weeks to get past the after-effects, a sort of
extreme muscular disorientation." She again exchanged glances with her
partner. "I must say that I'm starting to wonder about the nature of
this assignment."

Xeph
accepted the query and leaned back once more. His began to rub his
short beard between thumb and finger before finally countering. "I have
reason to suspect I may know at least some of how your cover was blown."
Both agents stiffened. "I'm planning a very special operation, one for
which your ingenuity, ability to adapt, and frankly your existing
knowledge of our enemy are particularly suited. Before we really get
started though, I need you to find someone for me."

"Oh?" Phedrick felts as though they'd been diverted again but at least they were talking specifics.

"Xer name is Bee3 and as of the Prith Junction Attack in YC116, xe is officially dead."

Phedrick
had to access his implant to find it but the Prith Junction had been
maliciously targeted by anti-AI zealots. The cult had been so possessed
of hatred that they had not only whiped out an entire AI community,
they had hacked and deleted the digital backups for the community's
members as well. Phedrick was just reaching an excerpt of what had made
the Prith Junction so special when Xeph resumed.

"Prith
Junction had been attempting to produce sentient AI offspring of a
similar style to human children. They were using complex algorithms to
try to randomize characteristics of each parent mind much like a human
child." Xeph saw a question forming on Jemmie's face and nodded to her.

"But
that community was destroyed almost immediately after they formed. With
the destruction of the digital backups it was a complete loss." To
someone as neurologically minded as Jemmie, Phedrick could only imagine
both the emotional and scientific toll the tragedy would have had on
her.

"True, all parent members of the community were killed, permanently." Xeph smiled as his specific words set in.

"They succeeded!?" Both in unison, Phedrick's a question; Jemmie's a declaration of triumph.

"They did."

"Well,
where has this child been then?" Jemmie was clearly caught up in the
hunt and Phedrick had to smile to himself at just how well their new
client knew how to weave a story to effect.

"If
you were a child and awoke to find your entire family and community
murdered and the walls closing in what would you do?" Xeph saw
Phedrick's knowing smile but couldn't resist.

"Xe
ran and hid, of course." Phedrick knew the question had been aimed at
his partner but like any good detective, the narrative was starting to
play out for him as well. "And I'm guessing you know where."

Xeph
was enjoying himself entirely too much at this point. "When demolitions
crew G342 went to disassemble the first of the old Indigo City pilot
systems, they noticed an abnormal precision and energy usage within the
system for one specific space-way trafficking algorithm. When they
queried it, it seemed to disappear. The crew recorded it as an equipment
glitch and moved on with their work."

Phedrick
had a momentary image of some child playing traffic cop with
battleships before Xeph continued. "I just happened to be scanning
several of the data mainframes looking for the sabotage that I suspect
our Skyreach friends, or at least their parent organization, may be up
to, when I noticed an abnormally large emergency data dump into the now
dormant clone maintenance mainframe."

"So,
we're looking for a scared, lonely, and likely starving child somewhere
in the nearly abandoned Indigo Station." Jemmie was already taking
notes and planning her ingress, the field training kicking in full.
Phedrick recalled with amusement what it was like to be so freshly into
the field.

"A
nine year old female clone, to be exact." He saw the question in their
faces. "From the early days, before they gave up on trying to find a
viable pre-pubescent solution."

"She
must be half starved by now." Jemmie rolled with the explanation and
once more focused on the child. Phedrick was still wrapping his head
around the potential of AI children clones and some unsettling questions
raised by such potential.

"Xe
activated the clone only yesterday and there are at least basic
emergency supplies near the vat storage. It was clearly a planned escape
so I think we have some time." Xeph initiated the transfer of several
files to each of them, names on each file including Bee3. "We have a few
other points to discuss but then I would like to have the 'yes' or 'no'
from each of you before charging off to Indigo."

Phedrick
began opening and digesting each of the files with a sort of awe. This
team and the structure behind it was unlike anything he'd ever been part
of and he suddenly understood why the capsuleer was asking for full
commitment on a personal level. The details alone would take weeks. But
it was the immense role to which he and Jemmie were being slated that
left him only able to nod for Xeph to continue.

*******

Her comm chimed an incoming call as Meyan lay lazily in the weightless suspension chamber that she'd chosen as her bed. Some of her friends at Uni used to joke about spacers using the strange form of sleeping chambers, rather than a simple bed, but she was starting to find the sensation oddly restful. And resting was exactly what she was doing. The job was lined up but without a functioning lab, even the temporary one being finished at Icarus, she had a bit of time to finally settle into her new home. An advance on her first month had resolved her rent and loan issues and even left enough for her to purchase some decoration for the flat. A simple holoprojection system now added a few plants and a reproduction oil painting of her favorite of Renaissances many waterfalls. The comm chimed again outside her notice. Two white chairs and an additional projected 'glass' table gave the room at least a semi-sophisticated place for guests; not that she ever expected to have them. There were just some things you had whether you used em or not. The holo system and table had been a splurge for her. The idea of something that was solid as glass and in the next moment not even there wasn't foreign to someone planet bound as she had been in her youth, but outside the confines of stations and starships the luxury of space just wasn't as big of a deal. Sure, some wealthy execs had used the stuff in their offices back planetside, but it wasn't nearly as plentiful as she was finding it up here. And the extra space was luxurious and practical for daily exercise. The comm chimed once more, finally rousing her from her musings. She rolled out of the field and came to land on her feet. Walking through where the table would/could have been, she collected her comm unit from a shelf near the door. "Yes?"

"Oh, Hi Meyan, It's Solu, did I catch you at a bad time?" Meyan checked her chronometer; mid-afternoon.

"No?"
Why would Solu be calling... wait was she supposed to have been at some
sort of orientation? She hadn't heard... She started rummaging through
her data pads looking for any indication of something she was missing
all the while wondering why Solu hadn't responded right away. She must
have been late for something otherwise why-

"So,
there is going to be a bit of a party tonight, celebrating the launch
of Shar's new ship. I know you haven't gotten to meet a lot of people
yet so I thought you might want to come." Did she seem nervous? No... it
was just Meyan being nervous.

"Uh,
yeah. That would be nice." Wait, would it? That was a lot of people she
didn't know. "Wait, do I need to dress up... Who is the party for?"

Solu
tried to stifle a giggle as she recognized a sudden nervous aspect of
Meyan through the comm. "Don't worry, dress as you like; it's the S'up
again so nothing formal. And it's for Sharlandra, she's launching her
new Pheonix this evening, the thing is pretty much insanity in a hull
but it's a pretty big deal." She cut off as though wanting to say
something else but didn't.

"The
S'up?" She'd heard Sharlandra's name before but often in uncertain
conversation, but S'up was new to her. A phoenix was a pretty big ship
if she remembered her naval history.

"Sorry, Sunny-side Up. S'up for short. I can meet you there if you like."

"Sure" She smiled to herself. "I suppose I should find something to wear then."

Solu's
tone was somewhat buoyed as she said good bye but Meyan didn't notice
as her mind suddenly turned to a sudden scramble of having to prepare
for a party she hadn't expected. Why hadn't she paid more attention to
her friends back at Uni when they were always going out to formals and
on the town; she felt suddenly inadequate in the makeup department. At
least her hair was short and simple enough not to have to fuss with. As
she moved to her closet and started moving aside far too many
business-wear outfits and far too few leisure options she realized with a
moment of regret; she had forgotten to say thank you.

Four
hours and a trip to a local boutique later Meyan, feeling a bit more
formal than she had intended, stepped up to the doors of Sunny-side Up
wearing a simple sleeveless amethyst and silver satin dress that fell to
just above her calf. She'd originally tried on several sleeved affairs
and after a rather absurd self-berating in the store, which she was
convinced must have looked ridiculous to any other patron, had decided
that tonight was the night to risk it and trust in the wisdom of her Uni
friends who never would have been caught dead in sleeves at a party.
The violet hue had not clashed with the green of her skin and with the
silver to offset the otherwise similarly deep jewel tones of dress and
skin; she had at least a chance that people would notice the dress
first.

The
door panels slipped open and a cacophony of sound erupted from the bar
enough for her to wince. From booth, to wall, to bar the place must
have been so full of capsuleers that she nearly turned around and left
right there. It was the young man from VaskTech who saw her, recognized
her, and waved thus preventing what was about to be one of the fastest
wormhole retreats in history. Watching as he separated from his friends
to walk over to her, she would have been blind not to notice the excited
surprise in his face. "Meyan, is that really you?" She had taken a few
steps into the room as well and he extended his free hand to greet her.
"I don't think I ever got to introduce myself the other day; Delyyn."

She
took his handshake, firm, purposeful but not overly aggressive. "Nice
to meet you." She had to raise her voice to be heard and she looked
around again at so many people. "I didn't realize it would be so busy."

"Oh,
Shar's a pretty popular gal, and this is kinda home gravcourt for the
Paradox. Hey, you should ditch the labcoat more often, if you don't mind
me saying." He'd stepped back and for the first time in a while she
honestly felt as though the comment was genuine and in reference to her
choice in dress rather than her skin. It felt good and an involuntary if
still shy smile came to her lips. "Come on, I'll introduce you to a few
of the fun ones."

She
let herself be lead through a small pile of people as Delyyn moved to
the far end of the bar where three capsuleers sat joking and liberally
enjoying their drinks. "Hey, so this is Nina, Aaron, and his sis Anna."

She
took Nina's offered hand, thinking that his face looked familiar, then
moved to Aaron's and Anna's. "Nice to meet all of you, You're members of
Alexylva?" She wasn't sure how else to initiate a conversation with
capsuleers. She was even surprised that they weren't all just talking
via their neural links. That's what they did most of the time, right?

It
was Anna who responded; "Yep, though it's not as glamorous as you make
it sound. Mostly it's just putting up with these gas-heads." Her insult
was clearly aimed at Nina and Aaron who both produced a mock-offended
look as if on cue before smiling into what must have been a common humor
among the group. Even Delyyn joined in on the joke and Meyan felt less
out of place.

At
the other end of the S'up, Solu stepped back from a conversation she'd
been having with a fellow capsuleer. It seemed that the construction on
Indigo was moving further ahead of schedule than they were making public
and bids for commercial space were going to be released publicly next
month. Promises of opening the bids to capsuleers first teased through
her head as she realized with chagrin that her original source hadn't
been as reliable as she had hoped. She would be able to get ahold of the
schematics for her top spots in about a week, but that was going to
leave very little time to scout out the best location for her to build
the new headquarters much less draw up the specs and get them on file to
be built as part of the final construction and refit. How she was going
to find time for all of it, run her current shop, and still get out and
patrol luckily wasn't too much of an issue. The fluid router in her arm
hummed gently as her other bodies sprung into action. One started
pulling up schematics for her new headquarters in her personal office
while another wrote up an E-mail to the Indigo Port Authority for access
to expected shiping traffic patterns and to try and slip into the
property bidding early, it wouldn't do to find a great place with no
commercial traffic, no matter how big the suite. A third 'her' began
talking with her boss's secretary, trying to find out if the workaholic
master of VaskTech was already working on a visit to the site. It would
be nice to get some firsthand views of just how the construction was
going and plant some ideas about getting his help in securing that
perfect spot.

Looking
about for him; he certainly wouldn't want to miss a corp event, even a
party, she decided to ask him in person as well. She finally found him
with one of his employees in a small group at the far end of the bar
just as the network chirped up.

::Hey, lets go grab some frigates and swarm Shar:: Tezra

::What, like little buzflies?:: Solu's response.

::Whatever, let's take this party out to where the real launch is happening:: Aaron

"Hey,
why not?" Nina's non sequitur caught Meyan off guard but a quick glance
to Delyyn who simply rolled his eyes in response informed her that
random spouts of response was common enough and she wasn't the only one.
Aaron and Anna were already setting their drinks on the bar and there
was a general shuffle about the bar as she noticed a vidscreen at the
far end start to display a massive bulk in space, hidden within a
scaffold gantry, and suspended within what looked to be a tower's
protective force field.

As
the three capsuleers started gathering their effects Meyan finally
caught sight of Solu who was walking over to the group. She tried to
wave but she was tucked behind Delyyn and Solu only seemed to be looking
at Nina. It was Aaron who spoke first, catching Solu's attention. "Hey,
you coming too?"

"What? No, I think I'll let you all go bother Shar on your own but I needed to talk to you quick Nina."

Aaron
shrugged while Anna just rolled her eyes in amusement at Meyan before
following her brother, and a good portion of the bar's population, out
of S'up and towards the docs. Nina turned from the pair back to Solu.
"Should we find a table?"

"That
would work, it shouldn't take long." Solu looked to Meyan who was
simply waiting patiently. "Do you mind? I don't mean to break up the
conversation."

Meyan
simply shrugged and shook her head, using the pause to signal the bar
attendant for another drink. Delyyn smiled and shook his head as well but as
Solu turned to follow Nina to a nearby table he seemed almost too eager
to have Meyan's attention all to himself.

"I
hate it when they do that network shit, just like the boss to talk shop
at a party though" Delyyn's tone was light and friendly and he shook
his head and smiled as he leaned towards Meyan in a conspiratorial sort
of way.

Solu
caught up to Nina as he set his drink down at one of the standing
tables beside the bar. She circled around to the far side leaving her a
view of Meyan as Delyyn resumed his account of the 'Construction of the
Tearinx' "So, when can I start hunting for labspace?"

Her
eyes had drifted back to Meyan. Delyyn was clearly excited by the
launch, as well as his role in it, but Meyan only seemed to be politely
listening, not really as interested. To Nina; "I'd really prefer
something with a window this time." She'd meant the comment with a
little humor and added a smile to reinforce it. "I just don't want to
get beat out for the best traffic spots."

Nina
seemed to consider the business aspects, reading through the surface;
the very fact that she was asking him meant she was looking for his not
inconsiderable support to obtain said space. Solu, on the other hand,
found herself glancing more and more to Meyan who was was now clearly
bored but too over-polite to stop the exuberant Delyyn. Should she go
over and save her?

"I'll
see what networks can be pinged on this on, we may be able to get you
that spacescape office." He smiled and looked to the door. "I could try a
few people now..."

"Sure,
go for it." Nina and his work were never parted for long and she
couldn't deny him the excuse to get back to it. "I think I'll stay here a
bit longer, for the launch at least."

Nina
turned to leave the bar, waving back at Delyyn and Meyan before
leaving. Solu sent a quick parting over the network before turning back
to finally join the other two. "Delyyn was just telling me about some of
the new tech that was going into that thing." She nodded to the screen
where the Tearnix's first hints of movement were being met by an eager
Daredevil suddenly swooping in to claim 'first to the finish' status for
the frigate swarm that was soon to follow.

"Yeah..."
Solu sensed a chance to move the conversation more towards common
ground. "I had to sit Shars new clone in the booth for a solid three
hours to get all the new implants set in there. Some really advanced
stuff." She smiled as Meyan reached for a fresh drink without taking her
eyes away. "Of course, the next time I have to do that I'm hoping to
have your expertise to speed it up."

Meyan
did blush slightly at the compliment but it was Delyyn who spoke next.
"Hey Meyan, here it comes!" Sure enough, a flurry of frigates dispersed
momentarily to reveal the bulky-sleek Blue Tiger painted nose pulling
out from its moorings and picking up speed. The conversation in the bar
seemed to stop as those remaining, primarily non-capsuleers she noticed,
all turned to watch the beast emerge fully and begin maneuvering for
entry into warp.

"Where
is she going?" Some of the frigate escorts were already initiating
their own warp vectors while others seemed to be targeting the Tearnix.
"And are they actually targeting her, a joke maybe?" She recalled the
nature of Anna's teasing only moments ago.

"What,
the frigates? Yeah... but they are just giving her a send-off, watch
and you'll see." Sure enough a moment later the few remaining frigates
seemed to emit, what Meyan could only assume was, a webbing beam and the
massive vessel seemed to swing violently on its access, lock into an
acceleration vector, and leap into warp as agile as the frigates which
were now coming to land in no real formation all around Icarus.

"Oh,
it's coming here!" She hadn't meant to sound so stunned as she finally
put together where the Tearnix's maiden flight would take her. Something
about a vessel so large that it couldn't even dock at the station sparked a sort of gut instinct of fight or flight. After hearing so much
about the sheer firepower of the very same vessel that was pounding
toward her faster than light, that instinct had come unbidden and was out
there faster than her mind could have caught it.

Solu
looked to Meyan, her face one of comfort and again about to speak when
Delyyn reached over and bravely put an arm about Meyan's shoulder,
pulling her to his side for a sort of friendly consolation. Focused on
the screen, Meyan barely noticed the gesture but seemed to feel a sense
of reassurance as Solu once more turned to look at the screen but her
mind lingered on the gesture. She was suddenly feeling a rather distinct
dislike for Delyyn's smooth charm but could find no way to do anything
about it. They all watched as a flash of light suddenly became the
Tearnix in sudden deceleration straight for the central towers of Icarus
station, the same towers that sat just behind Sunny-side Up. Almost in
unison the population of the bar turned to look out the bay windows
overlooking the docks as they quickly filled with the nose of a
dreadnaught. Moments of shocking silence went by until the ship came to
rest relative to the station. The news anchor seemed to find his voice
again and resumed a rolling commentary of what must be going through the
pilot's mind. One by one the patrons resumed their conversation or
turned to watch the projection. A few remained gazing out at the massive
new neighbor.

Meyan
shivered despite herself and finally noticed that she had a hand on her
bare, green, shoulder. She turned to look back at the screen, using it
as a cover to look at Delyyn's face. He was still staring out the window
but there was no malice or disgust in his face. Certainly a bit of
cockiness, but at this moment she didn't much mind that. Nor did she
mind the look of pride that came over his face as he watched the
manifestation of much of his hard work coming to a full stop and
station-keeping within tender range of the station. "You said you and
Nina helped install the -" She cut off mid-sentence as something from
the screen caught her eye. A reporter had been covering footage of
several demonstrators within the impromptu bazaar near one of the
civilian docking rings when a sort of flash went off near one of the
docking bay tunnels. A strange sort of gas seemed to fill the room and
by the time it cleared moments later every sentient being within view of
the camera, including the reporter herself had begun violently
assaulting one-another in blind rage. The network cut back to sudden
motion about the Tearnix but not before catching the grisly horror of a
child being torn apart on live feed merely a meter away; the image
imprinting itself on every viewer's soul.

Oh,
you have got to be shitting me!" Solu was suddenly in motion, not even
bothering to apologize as she sprinted for the door with augmented
speed. A flurry of curses Meyan couldn't even understand trailed behind
her, all generally aimed at explaining exactly where she was about to
send whomever was responsible. Outside, the Tearnix was realigning for
Eidolon anchorage as two or three massive battleships along with rep
cruisers burst from the Icarus docs to join their frigate mates. Again,
targeting activated and once more the hulking dreadnaught was smothered
in webs. Moments later, this time as one fleet, every frigate, cruiser,
battleship, and the Tearnix leapt into warp.

"I...
I gotta go." Meyan looked back to Delyyn who was, in a moment of sudden
concern placing his other hand on her left shoulder. "I'm sorry Meyan
but I need to go. Vox was in that bay, I know he's got a fresh back-up
but.. I, I gotta go make sure." Meyan looked up, still unable to shake
the gory images enough to respond. "Will you be ok here?"

She
had just enough awareness to look around at only a few people standing
in stark stunned silence as the screen cut to a news anchor trying
desperately to relay details they didn't have. With no idea what else to
do she simply nodded and carefully slid into one of the bar seats
beside her.

In
what would have normally been a very startling gesture Delyyn leaned in
and kissed her on the forehead before leaping to his right and
sprinting for the door. Meyan just sat at the bar, a bystander to it
all. Some part of her thanked whatever sanity at the network had refused
to cut back to the chaos but the anchor was already reporting that
emergency pressure bulkheads had been activated and the filtration
system crashed mere seconds following the gas bomb's detonation. Experts
were also reporting the most likely culprit as a bio-nantite agent
whose use had been banned the moment it had been discovered last cycle.
Somewhere behind the shock Meyan the biologist made the connection and
realized in vivid detail how each and every sentient in that bazaar was
having their cells or circuits violated. For those unlucky enough to be
human, the bio-nanites were invading each and every nucleus, in each and
every cell of their body. The neurons and parts of the brain which
handled empathy and other impulses we being hardcoded; rewritten to know
only rage in its rawest sense. Every part of the brain except the pain
centers. These were being changed as well; enhanced into a sort of
delayed fuse. Just long enough to permit undaunted aggression, but just
short enough that right before that person died... Just before they
could slip from consciousness the pain would come; magnified tenfold and
so powerful that the victim would literally die of overwhelming pain.
She was vaguely aware that something just as horrible was befalling the
sentient AI in that room as well but it was the realization that what
she knew was happening inside them had just happened before her very
eyes, and to a child who had no hope for the miracle of scanned-cloning,
that left her so completely adrift. Meyan cried.